Assembling and releasing performance of supramolecular hydrogels formed from simple drug molecule as the hydrogelator

A simple drug compound, 4-oxo-4-(2-pyridinylamino) butanoic acid (defined as AP), was able to gel water at 4 wt% concentration under various conditions. In the superstructure, AP molecules assembled into fibrous aggregates driving by hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interaction. The gels with different backbone structures released drug molecules in different speeds.